French Taunter
The French Taunter is the main antagonist of the 1975 film Monty Python, and the Holy Grail. He was portrayed by John Cleese, who also played the Black Knight in the same film. Biography The French Taunter is not exactly a villain in the traditional sense of the word but rather a very obnoxious obstacle that King Arthur and his men face when trying to get the Holy Grail - he was part of a group of French soldiers who have mysteriously arrived in England and taken command of a castle which they refuse to share: he is the loudest and most insulting of them all and despite King Arthur trying to reason with him simply treats them all with contempt and denies them entry. When King Arthur and his men finally lose patience with the annoying and troublesome trickster, he and his men assault King Arthur and his group in a way that could only come from the surreal minds of Monty Python - by catapulting livestock at them (including a cow) - this forced King Arthur and his men to retreat, so in some ways the French Taunter is a villain who succeeded, albeit in a very outlandish and strange manner and for reasons that can probably never be fully explained. Later, at the end of the movie, King Arthur and his remaining men cross the Bridge Of Death to reach the Grail and discover that the Grail is in a castle across the ravine. When they approach it, they realise that the French Taunter is on the ramparts, implying that one of his earlier "insults" (telling Arthur that they already had a Holy Grail) was actually true. Arthur leaves and gathers an enormous army to attack the castle, however as they charge the modern-day police arrive, arrest Arthur and his squire Patsy for the murder of a historian who died earlier and shut down the film. In Game of Thrones, the French Taunter's taunts can be heard in dialogue, albeit translated into Low Valyrian. Gallery French Taunter|King Arthur and his men facing the French Taunter in one of the most unique villain confrontations ever. Trivia *Despite being considered the main antagonist, he has little screen time. **Furthermore, it is possible that the French Taunter works for the French government. Since France was a monarchy in 932 A.D. (the year the movie takes place), it can be assumed that the Monarch of France is the Bigger Bad, with the French Taunter being the one driving the plot. *It can be assumed that the French Taunter was the one who convinced the police (who are the secondary antagonists) that King Arthur and his companions murdered the historian when they did not (note the knight who killed the historian has a helmet that covers his head and rides a horse, a trait that is shared by neither Arthur, Bedevere, Galahad, Lancelot, nor Robin). *In the television series Game of Thrones, the French Taunter's insults towards King Arthur were used as the basis of some of Oznak zo Pahl's insults towards Daenerys. Category:Monty Python Villains Category:Movie Villains French Taunter Category:Live Action Villains Category:Animal Cruelty Category:Successful Category:Xenophobes Category:Karma Houdini Category:Male Category:Dimwits Category:Enigmatic Category:Guardians Category:Dark Knights Category:Provoker Category:Nameless Category:Military Category:Leader Category:Thief Category:Destroyers Category:Archenemy Category:Non-Action Category:Internet Villains Category:Theatrical Villains Category:Arthurian Category:Neutral Evil